Today's ride began with a somber reminder that our daily undertakings come with an element of danger and that we must remember to exercise caution, especially when we're feeling carefree and having fun.

And there was a lot of fun to be had today. America By Bicycle incorporates their annual scavenger hunt into the short 39-mile trek from Twin Falls to Burley. There were also two optional deviations from the route to visit Shoshone Falls and Twin Falls; the latter serves as the town's namesake.

Andrew - one of the founding members of "The Bad Pennies" (it sounds much more distinguished with his British accent) - and I were able to stretch today's ride into 50 miles. [I earned Honorary Bad Penniship one day by missing Highway 30 and cycling for nearly a mile with two cyclists absentmindedly following me; in my defense, I didn't know they were behind me until I turned around to get back on route.]

The group was inadvertently advised by one of the ride leaders that, if we were going to pick one to visit between the two, Twin Falls was more spectacular than Shoshone Falls; I won't say who told us that falsehood (cough-Karen-cough). As a result, Andrew and I passed the turn to Shoshone Falls at 3.6 miles and continued to the intersection leading to Twin Falls at the 5.4 mile mark. While we were lounging at the second set of falls, other cyclists began to arrive, raving about how much better the Shoshone Falls were.

Andrew and I cycled the two miles back to the main road - with a 17% grade for which we proudly patted ourselves on the back, I might add. Then, we had a decision to make. We could continue on to Burley. Or we could capitalize on the minimal mileage schedule for the day and the remainder of the hours still left in the morning and backtrack to Shoshone Falls. It would add about 10 miles roundtrip and more 13-15% grades of climbing.

Being the rouge cyclists that we are, we went for it. And we were glad that we did.

Which do you think is more spectacular?
I'm taking a poll for Karen (wink).

Jim, the ABB mechanic stationed in his SAG van post, saw Andrew and me cycling in the wrong direction as we headed back to Shoshone Falls. Being the responsible ride leader that he is, Jim came after us to investigate our motives ... so we made him take pictures with us. Being rebellious cyclists isn't as fun without documenting our debauchery.

Beyond the ferocity of the rushing waterfalls, I was even more amazed by how the entire canyon is nearly concealed on the plain. From the main road, generally a mile or two from the winding canyon's edge, it appeared as if I could cycle straight to the horizon.

This is what I saw from the main road ...

And this is what lay between the main road and the horizon ...

According to the world's largest online resource for information, Wikipedia, the most frequently occurring theory of classical elements, held by the Hindu, Buddhist, Japanese and Greek systems of thought, it that there are four elements, namely Earth, Water, Air, Fire, which are currently associated with the four known states of matter (solid, liquid, gas and plasma) and a fifth element known variously as space, Idea, Void quintessence or Aether (the term "quintessence" derives from "quint" meaning "fifth").

We experienced the five elements on today's ride: the beauty of earth, the power of water, the speed of tailwinds, the energy of the sun, and the vast spaces and voids spanning the land. And of those five, I think that water and wind contribute some of the most remarkable of phenomenas - though arguably all five work simultaneously to produce breathtaking sights.

After witnessing the thundering force of the waterfalls and its centuries of carvings in the base of the canyon, we cycled along fields of Idaho wheat as the wind gracefully rippled the ears, creating flowing, silvery crests in a sea of green. Often, we noticed that we were following a single wave across a field, watching the wind softly bend the wheat like a row of dominos alongside our bicycles. Who knew that a field of wheat could be magical?

Day after day, I find myself wishing more and more that I could share every moment with all of you ... and day after day, a blog is as close as I can get.

"Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
- Mark Twain

Where I'm Going

Where I've Been

"Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it."
- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

"Or - in the end - whatever you did not do will also be insignificant, but which way would you rather have lived?"
- Me

Lost Girl of the Week

Featured June 29, 2011, on www.lostgirlsworld.com

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust & sweat & blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again & again, because there is no effort without error & shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold & timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."- Teddy Roosevelt

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"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, your body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming, 'Woo hoo! What a ride!'" - Unknown

"If you're not careful, there will only be two times in life when you truly believe that you can be whatever you want to be: when you're too young to know any better and when you're too old to do anything about it."
- Me

"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing."- Helen Keller